Ball construction



p 6, 1938. J. T. Rl DDELi; 2,129337 BALL CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet; 1

Filed Oct. l 4, 1935 r o f n e I Jomv 71%00544, 9

p 93 I -J. T. RIDDELL 2,129,237

BALL CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 14, 1935 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Jaw/v 7' 1900542, 4

- 5 the distribution Of weight.

Patented Sept. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE. m1. tfilfiiltcm 4 Claims.

This invention relates to leather covered inflated balls of the type used in basket ball, volley ball, football, soccer, etc.

The main objects of this invention are to pro 5 vide an improved construction for balls of this.

character and an improved method of making the same, whereby the ball is more perfectly shaped and of longer usable life; to provide an improved structure for the inner fabric casing; and to provide an improved structure for the outer leather casing.

Further objects are to simplify the operations of building the balls so as to secure greater accuracy of contour and more perfect balance in A specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a form block with the inner or foundation casing being formed thereon, the g latter being partly broken away to show the relation of its layers of fabric.

Fig. 2 shows the manner in which the inner .casing may be cut to remove it from the form.

Fig. 3 shows the inner casing with the cuts sewed up.

Fig. 4 shows the-inner and outer casings with the latter partly broken away.

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the complete ball.

This invention is believed to represent a distinct advance in the manufacture of leather covered inflate-d balls of the type used in basket ball and certain other games as aforesaid, particularly as regards structure and method of manufacture. I am aware that in the manufacture of tennis balls,

been applied to inflated ball structures by cement alone, but no one has heretofore produced a struc- .ture such as the product of the hereindescribed invention that would be appropriate for and withstand the strains of use in such games as basket ball, volley ball, football and the like with a leather covered casing having flush seams devoid of stitching and devoid of either indentations, projections -or deviations from a true spheroidal external surface.

Especially in the game of basket ball is accuracy of spherical contour a highly desired quality, long sought but never heretofore attained in a leather covered ball. Formerly, the leather casing itself was relied upon to determine the contour of the surface. Leather. however, carefully selected and treated, is nevertheless subject to varying stretchability in the different parts of so large an area as the surface of abasket ball 55 and the more recent practice is to provide a lining soft outer casings of material such as felt have of inner casing of more uniformly constituted material as the main reliance for accuracy of form and to use the leather as an outer casing to take the wear and provide the desired surface texture. The best lining material thus far pro- 5 duced is a cotton fabric or canvas of uniform weave. This is usually cut into pieces corresponding inshape to the sections of which' the leather casing is formed and the canvas and leather are cemented or sewn together to form individual composite pieces which are in turn sewn together at their edges. Howsoever such stitching may be done, it is necessarily characterized by ridges or depressions along the seams which distort. the f contour of the ball in some degree fromthe theoretically true geometric surface of the sphere or 'spheroid.

In the game of baskbt ball, the ball should approximate as closely as possible a true sphere, because a large part of the play and successful handling of the ball depends upon its liveliness and accuracy of rebound when it strikes the floor or basket backboards. Any departure from the true spherical surface, such as occurs at the seams of sewed balls, is therefore a condition that introduces factors of uncertainty in the rebound and that should be avoided if possible.

sewed seams are also subject to variable stretching inherent in the nature of such seams and an important purpose of this invention is to reduce the sewing of seams to a minimum.

In the form shown, the ball is built up of a plurality of-layers with non-coincident seams as follows: The form I is a spherical block of hard wood having a stem 2 rotatably fitting a tubular arm 3 carried on an upright 4. The innermost layer 5 of the casing is made up of a series of elements, preferably of canvas, accurately shaped to form surface segments or sectors bounded by great circles of the sphere and pasted side by side with abutting edges on the surface of the block with their extremities meeting in opposite poles on the form block I. One of the segments has a central aperture 6 to accommodate the valve structure of the bladder by means of which the finished ball is inflated. This segment is usually the first to be applied to the form and is placed with the aperture 6 concentric with the stem 2. The form may be rotated on its support to facilitate the passing of the succeeding segments which complete the inner layer 5 of the casing. When this layer is completed and all wrinkles smoothed out, the entire surface is'coated with latex or other suitable cement, completely filling it off. Three slits l I meeting at a point prefer.

ably diametrically opposite the aperture 6 as in Fig. 2 will allow the casing to be taken of! from the form without undue strain. The bladder i2 (Fig. 5) is now inserted and the-slits sewn up as in Fig. 3, and the bladder is then inflated to playing pressure. A

An appropriate valve structure for this type of ball is shown in my Patent No. 1,672,905, issued June l2, 1928, which discloses a valve arrangement for use with an inflatable bladder and s in which the valve stem, normally projecting outwardly from the bladder, has been substantially eliminated, the valve being constructed so that its outer end will lay flat with the surface of the inflated article. This valve isof the type which includes an enclosed capsule containing a puncture-healing fluid or semifluid material and a bladder equipped with such a valve may be indated by a hollow needle which punctures through the capsule, the puncture-healing fluid closing the puncture when the inflating device is withdrawn, thereby preventing loss of air. Thus, after the bladder I! has been inserted in the casing it may then be readily "inflated to playing pressure, and when once inflated, since no leakage can occurthrough the valve, there is no need forany further provision for inflating or-deflating the device.

The outer surface of the casing! is now filled andcovered smoothly with a coating of latex or cement which is allowed to'set or dry. Then the outer casing II is built up by applying segmentstrips of leather with abutting edges, as in the construction of the inner casings. 'll'hese strips are cemented to the coated inner casing l and arranged with their seams intersecting the seams of both inner casings 8 and I, as

shown in Fig. 4. I prefer to arrange the three Y casing layers so that their polar axes intersect at right.angles to each other for maximum strength. As a feature of appearance, I apply small circularsdiscs ll at the poles'of the leather casing and terminate the strips in flush abutment with the peripheries of these discs.

The flnished ball is now true to form without any projections or indentations and the seams are flush with the surface, as shown in Fig. 5. Since the cement used is unaflected by moisture,

there is no tendency of. the leather to loosen up and the ball maintains its accuracy of form through an exceptionally long life of rough usage.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shown and described, it is to be understood that details as set forth may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim: I

1. The method of making leather covered balls, which consists in building up a hollow fabric casing by applying to a complete ball form strips of fabric with flush abutting edges in successive overlapping layers. cemented together, removing the form through an aperture in said casing, inserting a bladder. and inflating the casing, and

then cementing upon the outer surface of the inflated casing a coverconsisting of sections of leather with flush abutting edges.

2. The method of making leather covered balls, which consists in building up a hollow fabric casing by applying to a complete spheroidal ball form spheroidal sector-shaped strips of fabric with flush abutting edges in successive overlapping layers cemented together, removing the form through a slit in said casing, inserting a bladder and inflating the casing, and then cementing a covering of leather comprising narrow sector-shaped ,strips with flush abutting edges on the outer surface of said casing.

3. The method of making leather covered balls,

which' consists in building up a hollow fabric casing by applying to a complete spheriodal ball form spheroidal sector-shaped strips of fabric with flush abutting edges in successive overlapping layers cemented together, the strips of different layers being respectively arranged symmetrically with regard to different axes, removing the form through an aperture in said casing, inserting a bladder and inflating the casing, and then cementing a covering of leather comprising narrow sector-shaped strips with flush abutting edges on the outer surface of said casing, said covering strips being arranged symmetrically with regard to an axis different than the respective axes-of said casing strips.

4. In the manufacture of inflated balls, the method step of building upa hollow casing by cementing narrow spherical polygon shaped strips of easing material in multiple transversely overlapping layers orrthe surface of a complete spheroidal form, the strips of each layer being laid with their edges flush and abutting, providing a, slit'in the casing, removing the form through said slit, inserting a bladder, closing the slit and inflating the bladder.

' JOHN T. RIDDELL.

- CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,129,237. I September 6, 1938.

'JOHN'T. RIDDELL. e it is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, second column, line 1, for "of", first occurrence, read or; and line 51, for "passing" read pasting; end that the" said Letters Patent shouldbe read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office. g r Y Signed a a sealed this 11th day of OctobQm A. D. 19

' Henry Va.n Arsdale (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

